Lynette Clemetson of the New York Times on Protest Groups Using Updated Tactics to Spread Antiwar Message:
As the threat of war with Iraq heightens, leaders of the antiwar movement are feeling an urgency to mobilize the masses. But in contrast to the tactics of the 1960's, many organizers are trying to sound a note of patriotism and distance themselves from the stereotypical images of angry flag burners or scruffy anarchists.
Marches are still a crucial tool, and protest leaders are hoping that tens of thousands will turn out for an antiwar rally here on Saturday. But organizers are also trying to spread their message through the Internet and enlist a diverse range of allies.
(Sigh) Umm, could someone please clue the New York Times in on the fact that internet organizing isn't some new deal. The fact that antiwar factions are now using it isn't news. Many of the same groups opposing the coming war with Iraq have been on the net for years.
Further, folks from many political perspectives and a variety of movements have been using the internet for this purpose for years. It isn't suddenly a newsworthy tactic just because its use coincides with an approved New York Times cause. It's been a valid tactic for years.
Whether it's the Libertarian Party mobilizing to defeat an invasive change to banking data collections, Free Congress Foundation and the ACLU joining forces to fight for civil liberties or anti-war activists recruiting members and allies, internet activism is not new.